Get your thermals on

Distribution centres and courier services are getting busier and that means that the effect of any efficiencies in terms of time-saved or waste avoided are multiplied, making them even more valuable than ever. Modern printer technology can help here.

In addition, one way to lower costs in logistics is to be aware that a second thermal printer can meet other printing needs in logistics operations more efficiently than a laser printer.  Delivery notes, invoices, route plans, and lists (such as picking lists, to-do lists and checklists) can all be economically provided by a thermal printer. Today, thermal printers are available that provide output at up to 6-inches-per-second, and because printing is from a roll, and not restricted to A4, there’s the capacity for variable print length.

For example, the Citizen CL-S6621 6-inch printer reduces A4 pages to A5 by changing the resolution. It is 50% smaller than the next largest 6-inch printer and half the price, making it not only the smallest but also the best priced 6-inch label printer on the market. Even so, it’s packed with technology that boosts print quality and reliability, including the ARCP automatic tension system that allows for clearer prints, lowering the cost of logistics by minimising error. 

Thermal printers are a cost-effective substitute for laser printers when printing documents such as invoices and delivery notes because, although laser printers are widely used throughout the logistics sector, they are not without their problems: cost of ownership, unreliability, paper jams etc.  In contrast, thermal printers are quiet, reliable and easy to operate, and print fast without a delay for warm-up.

Jörk Schüßler, European Marketing Manager for Citizen Systems Europe